Dutch govt to open 2 more business support offices in Ind

ET Bureau|

Oct 14, 2009, 09.56 PM IST

KOLKATA: In a bid to expand trade and business with India, the Netherlands government is actively considering to open two more business support offices in the country - one in Kolkata and another in Hyderabad. Currently, it operates two such offices in India - from Chennai and Ahmedabad - which serve as commercial intelligence dissemination centres and are known as Netherlands Business Support Office (NBSO).

The proposal in this regard would soon be submitted to the Dutch economic affairs ministry. Subject to its approval, the proposal would be submitted before the Indian government, said the Netherlands ambassador to India Bob Hiensch. Interacting with the city-based business community on Wednesday, the ambassador said once the proposal is cleared by the two governments at the highest level, his office intends to put up NBSO first in Kolkata, followed by Hyderabad. The initiative in this regard has been taken by the Netherlands embassy in New Delhi as part of its endeavour to shore up the bilateral trade turnover to $10 billion by 2013 from the current level of $4 billion.

Earlier on Wednesday morning, the Dutch ambassador met the West Bengal government���s industries and commerce secretary Sabyasachi Sen to discuss the prospect of extending Indo-Dutch cooperation to the state. "During the meeting, Mr Sen showed interest in having Dutch assistance and expertise in water conservation, food processing, gems and jewellery industry and setting up of integrated food parks in the state," said Mr Hiensch.

He further said a comprehensive business plan for the proposed Haldia-Farakka waterway is being formulated by a high level working group, comprising experts and officials from both India and the Netherlands. Incidentally, the Dutch government has funded euro 2 million to formulate the business plan.

Being comprehensive in nature, it covers all aspects of rejuvenating and sustaining the waterway for goods transportation on the Ganges, including maintenance of river banks, dredging on a sustainable basis, setting up of goods terminals, management of vessels and river pollution. A project of the Inland Waterways Authority of India, the waterway is to be rejuvenated to facilitate National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) transport coal from Haldia to the latter���s Farakka thermal plant.